Ariana's Perfect Parisian View

We live in the 7ème arrondissement of Paris. It's civilized to the point of distraction- if I walk home alone at night, the worst that could happen is an old lady might hit me with her Hermès bag.

(Image credit: Submitted by Ariana)

Our apartment is 70 square meters in an art deco building, with an additional 14 square meters spread out over two balconies. When we wake up every morning, we see the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, and La Defense from one window. On the other side of the bed, we see Invalides and Tour Montparnasse.

(Image credit: Submitted by Ariana)

Our main requirement for a Paris apartment? It couldn't look Parisian. We wanted to come home after a long day, feeling as though we'd escaped the city. Sloped ceilings, irregularly placed radiators, and a stringent renter's agreement make decorating tricky, but we were lucky to have built-in closets, hardwood floors, and butcher block countertops. We furnished the place with Leboncoin finds- an Eames chair, a mint Kartell Componibili, and Nkuku locker room shelves. Our kitchen is "American" style, which means open storage. It may be too spare for some people, but for us, it's bright and sunny and we feel good whenever we get home and see a clean, uncluttered space.

(Image credit: Submitted by Ariana)

When we have parties, everybody congregates on the terrace, watching the sun set behind Tour Eiffel. In the mornings, our cats sit on the balcony, staring as pigeons fly over Invalides. Small as it is, it's kind of hard to leave the apartment every morning and trade our home's natural light for the dark Métro.